Monday, April 18, 2016

This happened (thanks, Swee Lee)

This guitar had been featured here for a while. It's not new, it had even gone through pickups replacement. This guitar was a pleasant surprise. Here's why.

I received a call from Swee Lee a couple of weeks ago. The company's rep, a Mr. Faizal from the Bras Basah showroom (now presiding over matters at the Katong branch) asked if I would oblige an interview with them. All I need to do was be at the stated venue on the agreed date & time for the occasion & talk. That was simple enough. I wondered what it was all about & frankly I was expecting the worst since I was engaged in some Ibanez bashing right here at this blog, just some days prior to the meet up. In any case, I have nothing to hide, I was not slandering any parties & I was duly highlighting factual circumstances pertaining to some issues.

On the meet-up day, we made ourselves comfortable at Swee Lee's Bras Basah audition room- yes, that glass room full of Ibanez & Gibson upper tier models. It was a pleasant chit chat, Swee Lee just wanted to know a little bit more about myself & what made me go this far when it comes to the electric guitar. Swee Lee had been following my blog (sort of) & noted that more than 50% of what I own were instruments from them. I reminded them that my blog is a non-partisan online diary with some very emotionally charged comments at times. Also, I'm not a schooled player, my forte is product appraisal & that's what I take pride in. They understood that I have the right to opine on the circumstances & were appreciative that many entries over the years mentioned positive remarks about their business.

At the end of it all, the Ibanez Talman TM302 seen here was presented to me as a token of recognition & appreciation for my efforts & they look forward to some collaborations in time to come. So I guess, being true to myself paid off. All this guitar excess is really a personal passion that got carried away. If you are a passionate individual out there looking to make a difference, keep the fire burning because passion changes the world; everything else is a half-baked pastime. My astronomical thanks to Swee Lee; looking forward to working with you guys indeed. Cheers!